Trump says this private boarding school gave him more military training than the Army could

On April 6, the Trump authorized the first direct American assult on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the country's six-year civil war. The night's events marked one of the first known military actions of President Trump's time in office.

But before he became a billionaire real estate developer, reality TV star, or commander-in-chief, Trump was a cadet who attended the New York Military Academy.

Founded in 1889, the private school is spread across 120 acres in rural Cornwall, New York, located 60 miles north of Manhattan. The cost of tuition is $41,210 a year at the school, which ranks No. 128 on a list of the best boarding schools in the US by education resource Niche.

The story goes that Trump's parents shipped their 13-year-old son off to NYMA when he began acting up and it became a problem. Some 50 years later, Trump would tell his biographer that his five years' education there gave him more military training than the military could.

Male cadets are strictly forbidden from entering the women's housing, and vice versa. Students also aren't allowed to leave base without permission from the commandant.

Students stand at attention as they wait to be served lunch in the mess hall.

Mike Groll/AP

According to a sample menu posted to NYMA's website, a typical day might include a hearty breakfast of waffles; sausage patties, and fresh fruit; beef burgers and steak fries for lunch; and sweet and sour chicken with a side of veggie fried rice and green beans for dinner.

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The curriculum involves English, math, history, science, world languages, fine arts, and technology. Classes are small, so that instructors can provide individualized attention.